Sunrise
by Lemonadey
Summary: "So.. Waiting for the sunrise huh?" His line of sight does not waver from her. "Yeah, something like that" he mumbles.
He sat on the hood of the truck, parked close to the edge of a small cliff in a clearing of the woods. It was early enough that he might just catch sunrise and he was looking forward to it.

The sound of birds chirping and fluttering away in the distance brings a smile to the corners of his mouth. His hand drifts across his chest to the memory of a scar that once held home there for three years now gone. He closes his eyes taking a deep breath. He was free.

"It's not gonna come back you know.."  
His eyes snap open to ocean blue and golden curls as she approaches and perches herself down on the hood of the truck next to him.  
"..the scar I mean." His lips from a tight line. He looks down to the distance she placed between them. Not as close as it once was but not entirely out of reach.  
"...Must be weird for you. Three years and now it's just gone." His lips twitch at the corners.  
"Yeah. It's weird... Good weird though."

They sit in silence for a few seconds gazing into each others eyes before her attention shifts straight ahead to the skyline.  
"So.. Waiting for the sunrise huh?"  
His line of sight does not waver from her.  
"Yeah, something like that" he mumbles.

* * *

He continues to watch her in silence as her eyes remain glued to the horizon. The heat that radiates from her body, makes him cold as goosebumps shiver through him and he yearns to be warmed by her skin. A gust of wind wafts the smell of her perfume mixed with shampoo that is so uniquely Caroline, it's intoxicating. His heart thumps louder in his chest as he clenches his fists in his lap preventing himself from reaching out and tucking the curl that's blown across her face. Because he can't. Can't reach out and touch her. Because she's not his anymore. She has a fiancee, and kids, and a life and none of them involve him.

He closes his eyes clenching his jaw as he turns his head to face straight ahead. His eyes now watch the skyline and he has to mentally force himself from not allowing his gaze to drift back to her.

"Ric and I broke up" his head snaps back in her direction as she continues to watch the sky. His mouth hangs open as he processes this news.  
"... I told him I couldn't marry him.." His heart is beating in his chest ten times faster then before. Eyes wide, he hangs onto her every word. Her head is slowly turns to face him and only then does he notice the slight tears glistening in her eyes.  
"... I told him I couldn't marry someone I didn't love..". His breath hitches at that and their gazing remains transfixed.  
"...and that he deserves to be with someone who will love him back." He lightly nods in understanding as he lets it all sink in.

She's not engaged. She doesn't love Ric. But she loves the girls. He knows that. Knows she would never leave them. But technically she's not their mother. They're Ric's kids. Losing them would destroy her.  
His eyes dart around and he swallows hard before finally finding her piercing blue eyes again.  
"And the girls?" His voice wavers.  
A smile spread across her face, dimpled cheeks causing his heart to race.  
"He said I will always be there mom. No matter what."  
He smiled at the light that shone through her as she talked about her daughters.  
"Good."  
Her eyes are drawn back to the skyline and after a few minutes he turns to watch it as well.

"So you going back to Dallas?"  
"Well, I might have to find a new job now that my covers been blown at the news station. But I'm not really sure yet.. Wherever the girls go I guess. What about you huh? Still travelling?"  
A humorless laugh escapes his lips. "Uhh, no. I was thinking closer to home."  
"Oh, so Mystic Falls?". He finally tears his gaze from the the horizon to her as she continues looking straight ahead.  
"Not really sure yet" he whispers.

* * *

"So how's Bonnie?"  
"Oh, you know she's good. She actually has your brother and Enzo chasing her round like lost puppies at the minute."  
He lifts his eyebrows in a questionable expression, to which she giggles.  
"She sent them out into the forest to chase down these rare flowers or something for the spell"  
"I thought she already did the spell"  
"Oh, she did. This is just for her amusement"  
The both started laughing looking out to the skyline again.

The sun was now peeking its head out in the distance.  
"Oh wow... it's beautiful".  
"Yeah it it's."  
From the corner of her eye she registered that his stare was on her the entire time, fighting the smirk that pulled at the corners of her mouth. She rolled her eyes turning to face him.  
"Stefan. Just cause Alaric and I, doesn't mean we... What I mean is, it doesn't mean you and I are going to-"  
"-I get it." He gave a tight lipped nod.  
"You do?" She questioned eyebrows raised.  
"Yep.. I'll wait." He beamed a smile, eyes wrinkling at the corners. She seemed taken aback by that as her head bowed further away from him. Her brows furrowed, teasing smirk on her lips.  
"Who said I want you to wait?"  
"Doesn't matter I'm still waiting"  
"What if I want to be just friends?"  
"Then will be friends... friends while I'm waiting..." he held a smile so wide his cheeks hurt.  
"...Yep I think I can manage that. You?" She laughed at his cockiness before setting as serious tone.  
"Stefan. You and me..." She held a teasing glint in her eyes "... it's not gonna happen". His jaw clenched as his lips scrunched up in embarrassment.

* * *

After a few moments they both took one last look at the sunrise before she hopped off the truck. He followed suit as they walked side by side through the woods back to the camp where they could hear the distant yells of Damon and Enzo.  
"You know I was thinking-"  
"-uh-oh." She interrupted.  
"Before we go home. Maybe we could you know go somewhere?"  
She stopped dead in her tracks causing him to halt and face her, eyebrows raised in curiosity. Her eyes narrowed, as if sizing him up before she responded.  
"Ok. Number 1. WE.." gesturing a finger to the two of them."...don't have a home. And number 2 this is just as friends right?"  
"Of course"  
She debated it in her mind for half a second before nodding.  
"Ok"  
"Yeah" he smiled.  
"Sure... as FRIENDS." They resumed their walk through the woods.

"Where did you want to go?" She questioned.  
"To the falls... They're really beautiful and I figured I could show you" he teased, smirk growing by her embarrassed face as her eyes shut and she shook her head. He laughed at the sight earning a punch to the shoulder and "shut up".

"At least it wasn't Europe.."  
"Ohh" he feigned being hurt by her words.  
"Too soon?"  
"Low blow Caroline" he held a toothy grin as she erupted into laughter.  
He reached out for her elbow gently turning her to face him.  
"Or maybe we could..." He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, eyesight focused in on her rose plump lips.

"..just stay here.." He swallowed hard, eyes drifting back up to piercing blue as his head inclined towards her. The playful tone they had minutes before evaporated into thick tension.

"..and just.." . She remained completely still as he moved to bridge the breaths gap between their lips when her head suddenly snapped in movement to the side.

He clenched his jaw closing his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down. When he finally opened his eyes, she had put a foots distance between them and was looking to her shoes pursed lips scratching behind her ear. The image of a guilty child caught stealing sweets.

He turned his attention to the disturbance that stole her attention to unveil his brother, evil smirk and all. His was quite literally the bane of his existence.  
"Damon" he muttered through gritted teeth narrowed eyes. Damon raised his eyebrows while sauntering over to them.  
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Stefan licked his tongue over his teeth, as Caroline continued to look at her shoes as if they were the most interesting things in the world.  
"So are you two... are we?-"  
"-What do you want Damon"  
"Right. Onto more pressing matters, either you two love birds seen some blue flower with red thorns?"  
Stefan looked to Caroline from the corner of his eye to see her holding back a smirk.  
"Nope"  
"No"  
"Figures" he started looking around where they were standing at the different flowers on the ground. Stefan took a deep sigh, nostrils flaring.  
"Can you not go look somewhere else?"  
"You know, you're not being very helpful brother"  
"Right. Well we were just about to-"  
"Oh, I know full well what you were about to do"  
"I mean, we're going to head down to-"  
"You know what? Damon's right..." Caroline interrupted.  
Stefan looked to her furrowed brows.  
"..We're not helping.." She turned to face Damon "..Stefan will help you look. Right Stefan?" She turned back to face Stefan slight smirk, evil glint in her eyes. His mouth hung open eyes narrowed.

"Aww thanks bro". Damon announced slapping his back as Stefan pursed his lips at the amusement on Caroline's face.  
"But we were gonna-"  
"-another time maybe. Your brother needs you..."Stefan watched her sauntering off into the distance proud grin on her face. "... bye!"  
"You know she's got you wrapped around her little finger right." Damon piped up from beside him earning him a deadpan look.  
"Now help me find these damn flowers before Enzo gets them".  
"Right".


End file.
